AMD took a couple of big strides in developing its system-on-chip (SoC) business, which could bail it out in the event its PC processor sales fall critically low. Low-power, and high-efficiency SoCs drive everything from smartphones to tablets, and sub-notebooks, making for some high-volume products. AMD brings its x86 license, decades of consumer graphics experience, and recent strategic partnerships with other SoC makers over the Heterogeneous Systems Alliance (HSA) to the table.

The company reportedly hired Charles Matar and Wayne Meretsky, two towering names in the SoC industry. Charles Matar served with Qualcomm, and holds expertise in low-power and embedded chip design. He joined AMD as vice president of System-on-Chip Development. Wayne Meretsky, on the other hand, has been a key player in Apple's in-house SoC design project, which dished out some of the highest-performing chips in the industry, including the A4, A5X, and A6X. He has been named vice president, software IP development.